W&m Fencing Coach Killed

The College of William and Mary's fencing coach was killed and three fencing students were injured in a wreck near Richmond Saturday.

Peter Conomikes, 86, of Williamsburg was driving three members of William and Mary's club fencing team, which he had coached since 1972, to Pennsylvania where they were due to compete in a fencing event.

The vehicle crashed at 12:49 p.m. on Interstate 295, near I-95 in Henrico County. State police said Conomikes' 1992 Toyota Camry left the road and hit a tree. The coach was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:05 p.m.

No other vehicle was involved in the accident, according to state police, and the cause of the accident is unknown.

In an e-mail sent out to the campus community on Sunday, Sam Sadler, the college's vice president of student affairs, said Fencing Club members Spencer Butts and Ben Gutenberg are in a critical but stable condition at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

The third student in the wreck, Matt Peppe, has been treated and released from the hospital.

Sadler described Conomikes as a "remarkable man" and "an extraordinary athlete."

Conomikes began his fencing career at Colombia University in 1940 and became a legend at William and Mary, Sadler said. He earned numerous honors and awards during his career.

"The sense of community we share at William and Mary is a remarkable source of strength and healing," he said.